Sensei Sherman Harrill was born in Falcon Missouri on May 11, 1941. While still a young child his family moved to Iowa. In 1958, at the ages of 17, he joined the United States Marine Corp. In 1959, he was stationed at Camp Courtney near the village of Tengan on the island of Okinawa. One evening a young Sherman Harrill accompanied three bunkmates, Charlie Connors, John DeSantis and Gary Baker to a karate class at Master Tatsuo Shimabuku’s karate dojo in Agena. This would turn out be the beginning of a journey into the mysteries of Isshin-ryu Karate that would last 42 years.
Like most Marines, Sensei Harrill spent 14 months on the island of Okinawa. During this period he had the opportunity to train with many of Master Shimabuku’s American students including AJ Advincula, Don Bohan, Tom Lewis, Ed Johnson, Steve Armstrong, Jake Eckenrode, and Clarence Ewing.
In May of 1960, Sensei Harrill left Okinawa as, according to him, “a decent Shodan.” He also carried with him a silk certificate for the rank of Rokudan (Sixth Dan) from Master Tatsuo Shimabuku. Master Tatsuo Shimabuku gave similar rank certificates to many of his American students at the end of their tour of duty with the understanding that the rank would become valid after an appropriate number of years of continued training. The majority of them came back claiming Rokudan as soon as they stepped off the plane. Sensei Harrill stated that his Sensei told him to train for 15 years before claiming the rank of Rokudan. He actually trained 22 years before claiming that rank.
In 1965, Sensei Harrill married his wife Linda. He and Linda had two daughters, Courtney and Leslie. Their family lived on a farm near Carson, Iowa. Sensei Harrill would workout at a favorite spot in a grove of trees near the farm. During this period he had nobody standing over him telling him what he could or could not do while practicing the Karate he had learned on Okinawa. He would practice the simple but effective block, punch, and kick karate he had learned from Master Shimabuku. He would also study his literal translation of the Kenpo Gokui, and then experiment with techniques taught to him by Master Shimabuku, perhaps applying them at a different angle, or using a different principle, or with a different mindset. Over time he developed a deep understanding of the techniques of Isshin-ryu Karate as well as his own unique principles on the application of techniques from the basics and kata. He would often say "Sensei (Tatsuo Shimabuku) taught me that this was for..., However, I also use it to …. " He had developed his own unique flavor if Isshin-ryu Karate his students would come to call “Harru-ryu.”
Sensei Harrill’s took on his first student in 1978. This first student was Gregg Eggers. Gregg and his wife, Gwenn, were close family friends of the Harrills. The Egger’s daughter, Angela, was also a good friend with Sensei Harrill’s two daughters. Gregg Eggers was the first to receive a Black Belt from Sensei Harrill.
As young children, Courtney and Leslie would frequently ask their father to start a school and openly teach karate. Then in 1983, a drunk driver killed Courtney and Leslie, along with the Egger’s daughter Angela. It has been said that if you look deep into the psyche of a person who excels in an area beyond what is determined to be the norm, you will often find some painful trauma or tragic loss. It is in the memory of these three special young ladies that Sensei Harrill found the drive and motivation that led him to become the premier karate instructor of our time.
Sensei Harrill opened a dojo in Carson, Iowa in 1983. That dojo is still in operation today under the direction of Sensei John Kerker, one of Sensei Harrill’s senior students. Over the years, Sensei Harrill developed his theory of Balance Points and his own method of utilizing Pressure Points in applying techniques from Isshin-ryu Karate’s basics and kata. He developed a unique method for training on the Makiwara, giving the term “striking art” a totally new level of meaning.
In 1984, Sensei Harrill began conducting seminars across the United States. Students and instructors from many styles flocked to these seminars hoping to learn and apply his unique principles to their own techniques. In 1997, he went international, conducting a series of seminars in South Africa. Sensei Harrill became the true instructor’s instructor, earning the respect, admiration and friendship of those who were able to let go of the politics and simply train.
Sensei Harrill died on November 4, 2002 at the age of 61 due to complications after undergoing surgery for cancer at the Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He will be deeply missed by his family, his students, and his friends.
Sensei Harrill would often say that he was neither Master Shimabuku’s favorite student nor the best student to train at the Agena dojo. However as Sensei AJ Advincula, a fellow first generation Isshin-ryu Karate student and close friend of Sensei Harrill’s said “Sherm was not always right.” |
